Happy 2013!! It’s that time of year when our resolutions
are fresh and new – and we’re still motivated to fulfill them! This year I’m resolving to exercise more and
to try new, exciting, and fun things.
Less than two weeks into the year and I’m doing pretty well. I’ve actually managed to get on the treadmill
a few times. Once I got on the treadmill
in a moment of self-preservation, when the heat was out and I was in the
basement watching Big Bang Theory…I needed something to help me stay warm (I
did get mocked a little by the family…4 layers of heavy clothing while
exercising and I deserved the good natured ribbing!). I figure if I keep the treadmilling up I may
even be able to go faster than 2 mph (just kidding I go way faster than
that…3 mph!). I’m hoping to get to the
point where I don’t need a huge nap afterwards too…
How cool is that??!! |
I’ve also been trying new and fun
recipes and ingredients. When I was at
Kosherfest this past year, the A&B Gefilte fish company had a really
awesome Gefilte fish display. I know
it’s hard to fathom putting the words “Gefilte Fish” and “Awesome” together in
a sentence but trust me when I tell you that fish looked awesome! What they had done was blend some regular and
salmon gefilte fish together to make interesting patterns in the fish. I spoke to the rep and she told me how to
make similar fish at home. In a moment
of throwing caution to the wind I made the Way Cool Gefilte Fish last
Shabbat for an appetizer. It was so
pretty and everyone was completely impressed.
Truthfully it wasn’t hard to make at all, but I would have defrosted the
fish loaves a little longer…sadly some of the pieces didn’t stick together
after they were cut and would have if they had been a little softer to smush
together better before being cooked.
Hey meat...say "Cheese"!! |
My second recipe adventure began
after dropping one of my girls off at a class in Skokie this week. For those of you that don’t know, I live in
West Rogers Park which is around ten minutes by car away from Skokie. Considering that her class was less than an
hour, it didn’t seem prudent to drop her off, go home, and then turn around and
come right back to pick her up. I
remembered a produce market that some of my friends had spoken highly about not
too far from where my daughter was and decided to explore. SO fun!!
The store had a lot of interesting kosher products that I
hadn’t seen before. I found some great
dried fruit (stay tuned for fabulous Tu B’Shvat recipes coming soon!),
interesting vegetables, and pareve ricotta and mozzarella cheese!! The ricotta was by a familiar company,
Tofutti, so I figured it couldn’t be too bad – and besides….I’m trying new, fun
and exciting things right? Now, I’m one
of those people that really fulfills the mitzvah of keeping kosher – I love
the idea of eating milk and meat together but because I keep kosher it’s never
to be. I usually use ricotta for
lasagnas, so when I found pareve mozzarella cheese I knew I was set to make a meat
lasagna of some sort. I have to admit I
was a little scared when I was making the Two “Cheese” Meat Lasagna Rolls. I’ve used mock meat but I haven’t ever used
mock cheese before (not counting cream cheese).
The idea of using real meat in the recipe was very appealing to me for
obvious reasons. The fake cheese looked
a little funny when I was mixing it, and I kept thinking – “Be afraid, be very
afraid!” In order to ensure that the
cheese tasted reasonably good, I added some extra garlic to it – the flavor of
garlic masks everything. I also didn’t
know if this “cheese” was going to melt.
For all I knew, after it was baked the mock cheese could have been one
big gross clump. Ugh. And to complicate matters I even used gluten
free lasagna noodles (great for the GFE) for most of the rolls –who knew how
this would really end. Well, guess
what, they were great!!! Shocking!
The cheese was creamy and gooey, and the spiced meat was fabulous. Wahoo!
(And as a bonus these recipes are
great for the GFE (Gluten Free Eater)!!
Finally, the Joy of Kosher “Best
of Kosher” Awards is back! And…Kosher
Everyday is one of the nominees!!! How
cool is that!! SO, as a Kosher Everyday
reader and fan – YES YOU! – PLEASE vote for Kosher Everyday on this web page: http://www.joyofkosher.com/nomination-category/best-kosher-food-blog/ You can actually vote once every day so as
they say in Chicago politics, “Vote early and often!” Thanks!!
Way Cool Gefilte Fish
1 loaf regular gefilte fish
1 loaf salmon gefilte fish
2 large carrots sliced, or ½ pound
baby carrots
½ teaspoon black pepper
Water
1 9”x13” inch pan with a lid
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Remove fish loaves from the
freezer. Allow to defrost for an hour to
an hour and a half until the loaves are soft enough to cut. Remove the fish from the parchment, reserving
the parchment. Cut each fish lengthwise
into 4 long pieces. Swap two regular
pieces with two salmon pieces. Piece the
fish pieces back together to create two salmon/regular loaves (see photos
below). Re-wrap the fish loaves in the original or fresh parchment paper. Place the loaves in the 9”x13” inch pan. Add carrots, pepper and enough water to come
halfway up the fish. Seal tightly and
bake for 90 minutes. Allow to cool, then
refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve
topped with carrots on a bed of lettuce.
Two “Cheese” Meat Lasagna
Rolls
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 pounds extra lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic crushed, or two cubes
2 medium sweet onions, finely diced
1 large red pepper, finely diced
1 small can tomato paste
8 ounces soy mozzarella
2 cartons pareve ricotta cheese (16 ounce each – I used
Tofutti Better Than Ricotta Cheese)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 large eggs
1 pound lasagna noodles (regular or gluten free)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 26 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce
Non-Stick vegetable spray
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Spray a large baking pan with non-stick vegetable spray. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of
salt to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles
to the pot and cook according to the package directions, gently stirring
occasionally to separate the noodles, slightly undercooking the noodles. When
the noodles are done cooking, do not remove them from the water or pot, add
additional cold water to the pot until the noodles are submerged in cold
water. Set aside.
Heat the canola oil in a large
skillet. Add the onion, pepper and the meat. Sauté until the meat is browned. Add the tomato paste and stir until
thoroughly combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine the “ricotta”, “mozzarella”, garlic
powder and eggs.
Place a large paper towel on the
counter. Carefully remove a noodle from
the pot and dry it with an additional paper towel. Place the noodle on the counter paper
towel. Spread some of the “cheese” mixture
on the noodle, then spread some of the meat mixture on top of the “cheese”. Roll the lasagna noodle then place in the
prepared pan. Top with the pasta
sauce. Seal tightly with a lid or foil
and bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot with
your favorite crusty bread.
Way Cool Gefilte Fish
Two loaves of fish...
One salmon one not.
Defrost the fish so you can cut and smush it...
Unwrap the fish...
Cut the fish into 1/4ths...
Swap and interchange the fishes...
Piece the fish back together with
alternating colors.
Wrap them back up
(you can re-use the parchment or
grab a new piece)
Place the fish loaves in the
pan with the carrots & pepper...
Add the water then seal tightly.
Cool then slice!
How pretty is this?!!!
And SO cool!!!
(Your family and friends will be amazed!)
Two “Cheese” Meat Lasagna Rolls
Use the Hindy Chopper with
the fine dice insert to chop the
onions and peppers...
Tomato paste & oil...
Cook the noodles then keep them in cool water until
it's time to rock & roll...
Sauté the meat, onions & peppers...
Add the tomato paste then stir!!
It's "TWO" "Cheesy"!!!
It really is kosher pareve!!!!
Put it all in a bowl...
(At this point I was very afraid!!)
Add the eggs....
Rock & Roll time!
Place them in a pan...I ended up using two
pans and two kinds of noodles!!
(GFE & regular)
(These were the GFE noodles)
Add the sauce & cover tightly...then into the
oven they go!
Out of the oven...saucy and delicious!!
(My second pan...)
It's a (Yummy!) photo op!
Kosher
Everyday is dedicated to the memory of my father
Dr.
Theodore Saltzberg - Tuvia Ben Nachum Z”L
May
his memory be for a blessing - Yihi zichro baruch.
Look for additional information about Edible Experience
Kosher Everyday at www.koshereveryday.com,
aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,
The Chicago Tribune Syndication,
or on Facebook at Edible
Experience by Sharon
Matten.
These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon
Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher
Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted
without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!
Congratulations!
KosherEveryday is one of the finalists for
the
2011 CBS Most Valuable Blogger Awards!!
I love the idea of mixing the two fish. Makes it pretty too. Stopping by via bloggy moms blog hop.
ReplyDeleteYou're making me hungry.
Thanks Sara!! Let me know how your fish turns out!
DeleteSharon